Adventures in Fiction: Manly Wade Wellman By Michael Curtis At Goodman Games we recognize the importance of Appendix N in the history of D&D and DCC. May 21 marks the anniversary of the birth of Manly Wade Wellman, a unique contributor to Appendix N. Here is some more information on this important writer. Manly Wade Wellman arrived in this world on May 21st, 1903, born literally an ocean away from the place he’d be forever associated with in his later life. Young Manly’s playground was the land of Portuguese West Africa (now Angola), where his father was stationed as a medical officer. It was undoubtedly here, in a land far removed from the staid world of 20th century America, that the seeds of Manly’s imagination found their first fertile ground. Wellman would grow to become an accomplished writer, penning stories in the genres of science fiction, fantasy, occult detective stories, prehistoric adventure, and horror during a career lasting almost 75 years. While all of Wellman’s oeuvre is worth reading, it is his Silver John stories that most impacted the world of fantasy role-playing. Wellman is one of the names on Gygax’s Appendix N roster of influential authors. Although no specific title is listed alongside his name, it’s been suggested that the character of Silver John influenced the bard class in D&D—a wandering troubadour who uses song, magic, and knowledge to defeat supernatural menaces. Stripped of the pseudo-medieval trappings of D&D, the bard and Silver John become almost indistinguishable from one another. The Silver John stories influenced the world of Dungeon Crawl Classics in a much different manner, however. Rather than inspire a single character class, Wellman’s tales of the witch-haunted hills and hollows of the Appalachians served as the germ for DCC #83: The Chained Coffin. That adventure is set in the fantastic region of the Shudder Mountains, a realm inhabited by goodly-hearted yet superstitious folk who share their mountain home with witches, devils, and secrets harkening back to a time before time. Gamers looking for adventures set somewhere other than the standard sword & sorcery inspired settings of fantasy role-playing will find a familiar yet eerily different world in the Shudder Mountains. The Shudders are a place where Manly Wade Wellman would have felt right at home and we here at Goodman Games raise a glass of good ol’...

Adventures in Fiction: Gardner Fox By Jeff Goad Today is the birthday of Gardner F. Fox. Most people know him as the legendary and prolific writer for DC Comics who created the Justice Society of America as well as many of the most iconic DC Comics characters including Doctor Fate, the Flash, Hawkman, and Sandman. He also wrote many of the earliest Batman stories and was the first to introduce the Batarang. His contribution to the world of comics is well documented and uncontested. But when people see his name on the list of Appendix N authors, there’s often no recognition of his name as a writer of fantasy. He has passed into relative obscurity for contemporary fans of the genre. It is not surprising considering that he is best known as the author of the Kothar books (discounted by many as a cheap knockoff of Conan) and the Kyric books (a likewise discounted knockoff of Elric). Paperbacks like Kothar Barbarian Swordsman often littered the shelves of 70s and 80s bookstores beside similar fare like Brak the Barbarian and Thongor of Lemuria. So why does the Appendix N specifically suggest that we read: Fox, Gardner: “Kothar” series; “Kyrik” series; et al? Stick with me kid, and I’ll show you why. First off, what is a lich? Ask any fantasy enthusiast and they will tell you it is a powerful undead wizard. Well that wasn’t true before D&D. The word “lich” was just an obsolete word for “corpse”. But in Kothar Barbarian Swordsman, Kothar meets an undead wizard named Afgorkon (who casts healing spells… just sayin’….) and he is described as a lich. After reading this story, Gary Gygax added the lich to the 1975 Greyhawk supplement and it has been a focal point of the game ever since. Afgorkon is also a great example of a patron in Dungeon Crawl Classics. He is a powerful entity who exists out of time and he offers help in exchange for services, but his requests are never as simple as they seem…. Reading the Kothar books beside more literary inclusions in Appendix N like The Lord of the Rings, The Blue Star, or King of Elfland’s Daughter definitely show that Kothar Barbarian Swordsman is no piece of great literature. Sometimes we want Citizen Kane and sometimes we want The Evil Dead. Kothar is like...

Adventures in Fiction: Manly Wade Wellman By Michael Curtis At Goodman Games we recognize the importance of Appendix N in the history of D&D and DCC. May 21 marks the anniversary of the birth of Manly Wade Wellman, a unique contributor to Appendix N. Here is some more information on this important writer. Manly Wade Wellman arrived in this world on May 21st, 1903, born literally an ocean away from the place he’d be forever...

Adventures in Fiction: Gardner Fox By Jeff Goad Today is the birthday of Gardner F. Fox. Most people know him as the legendary and prolific writer for DC Comics who created the Justice Society of America as well as many of the most iconic DC Comics characters including Doctor Fate, the Flash, Hawkman, and Sandman. He also wrote many of the earliest Batman stories and was the first to introduce the Batarang. His contribution to...

Adventures in Fiction: Fred Saberhagen By Jim Wampler At Goodman Games we recognize the importance of Appendix N in the history of D&D and DCC. May 18 was the anniversary of the birth of Fred Saberhagen, a key contributor to Appendix N. Goodman Games has partnered with Saberhagen’s estate to produce DCC: Empire of the East, releasing in late 2019. Here is some more information on this important writer. Science fiction and...

Adventures in Fiction: Roger Zelazny and the Chronicles of Amber By Steve Bean Our Adventures in Fiction series is meant to take a look at the writers and creators behind the genre(s) that helped to forge not only our favorite hobby, but our lives. The idea of space gods seems somewhat common place today, but Roger Zelazny is the reason that most of us are familiar with them. By virtue of his unusual last name, Roger...

Adventures in Fiction: Jack Williamson By Ngo Vinh-Hoi In the storied list of Appendix N authors, there is one name that encapsulates nearly the entire course of modern American science fiction and fantasy: Jack Williamson. John Stewart Williamson was born on April 29th, 1908 in an adobe hut in what was then still the Arizona Territory. Seeking to better themselves, the Williamson family travelled by horse-drawn covered wagon to New...

Adventures in Fiction: Fletcher Pratt By Jeff Goad The Appendix N is a list of prolific authors of science fiction and fantasy. But Fletcher Pratt is not one of them, at least not in comparison to most of the authors on the list. He primarily wrote historical nonfiction about the Civil War, Napoleon, naval history, rockets, and World War II. So why is Fletcher Pratt listed in the Appendix N and why does he have the coveted “et al”...

Appendix N Archeology: William Hope Hodgson by Michael Curtis In the now famed Appendix N, Gary Gygax lists roughly thirty authors whose works inspired the creation of Dungeons & Dragons. Many luminaries from the fields of both pulp sword & sorcery and horror fiction, as well as some then-current authors fill that list. However, as with any catalogue of inspirational sources, Appendix N is merely representative of what the...

Appendix N Archaeology: Harold Lamb By Howard Andrew Jones In the now-famed Appendix N, Gary Gygax lists roughly thirty authors whose works inspired the creation of Dungeons & Dragons. Many luminaries from the fields of both pulp sword & sorcery and horror fiction, as well as some then-current authors, fill that list. However, as with any catalogue of inspirational sources, Appendix N is merely representative of what the...

Adventures in Fiction: Arkham House, Ithaqua, and In-Jokes: The Influence of August Derleth By Bradley K. McDevitt Our Adventures in Fiction series is meant to take a look at the writers and creators behind the genre(s) that helped to forge not only our favorite hobby, but our lives. Most of you probably know the name H.P. Lovecraft, but do you know August Derleth? Bradley K. McDevitt reminds you that you have a good reason...

Adventures in Fiction: Andre Norton by Jim Wampler Famed fantasy and science fiction author Andre Norton was born on February 17, 1912. Join us, as we celebrate her birthday by taking a look at her works and their influences on both adventure gaming and genre fiction. Born as Alice Mary Norton in 1912, Norton started writing while she was still in high school in Cleveland, Ohio. In fact, she completed her first novel while still...

Adventures in Fiction: Margaret St. Clair by Michael Curtis Margaret St. Clair was born on February 17, 1911. Her work appears in Gary Gygax’s Appendix N, and is important for lending a crucial concept to the D&D game: the idea of dungeon levels. Here is Michael Curtis with more information on this important writer… The titles and authors appearing on the Appendix N list are varied. Some are fantasy, others science fiction, and...

Adventures in Fiction: Philip José Farmer By Jeff Goad Today we are celebrating the birthday of Philip José Farmer. While he isn’t around to celebrate this day with us, his books are still here inspiring writers and game designers as they have for decades past. Farmer found early acclaim in the pulps, winning the Hugo in 1953 for Best New SF Author only a year after the publication of his first tale in Startling Stories. He continued...

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